1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lever switches, and particularly to a lever switch for windshield wiper operation for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 3 shows a conventional wiper switch. In this figure, a tubular casing indicated at 1 is mounted in the vicinity of a steering wheel of a motor vehicle not shown. On the mounting base is disposed a switch portion of a front wiper though not shown, and an operating shaft 2 of the switch portion is inserted into the casing 1. The extreme end of the operating shaft 2 is supported while extending through a bearing body 3 secured to an open end of the casing 1, and a knob 4 for operating the front wiper is secured by screw to the projected end thereof. A fixed knob 5 is secured to the extreme end of the bearing body 3, and a cam crest (not shown) is provided on one surface of the fixed knob 5. A clip pin 6 pressed against the cam crest compresses a coil spring 7 and is received into a round hole of the knob 4 for operating the front wiper to thereby constitute a click mechanism. A variable resistor 8 for setting interval time is disposed in the outer periphery of the bearing body 3. A rotational body of the variable resistor 8 is operated by a knob 9 for the interval time set volume, the knob 9 being rotatably loosely fitted in the outer periphery of the bearing body 3. Further, a click mechanism composed of a cam crest, a clip pin and a coil spring as mentioned above is disposed between the knob 9 and the other surface of the fixed knob 5.
According to the above-described conventional wiper switch, when the knob 4 for operating the front wiper is twisted, positions of OFF, interval (INT), LO and HI, for example, are selected by the click mechanism so that the wiper is operated. In cases where the INT position is set, the wiper can be driven intermittently at suitable intervals by rotating the knob 9 for the interval time set variable resistor. Even in the operation of this knob 9, a few positions are selected by the click mechanism.
In the above-described prior art, the switch portion for the front wiper is disposed on the mounting base of the casing 1, and the operating shaft 2 is made to extend through the casing 1. Therefore, this impedes a miniaturization of the whole product and in addition restricts the direction in which the operating shaft 2 is disposed, that is, the operating shaft 2 must be substantially perpendicular to the drive column. Therefore, no freedom is obtained in the mounting place, and no freedom is obtained in the shape of the casing.